Downloading from Newsgroups
For a long time now I've been using Usenet to download everything I ever need from the internet so I'm going to let you know what I use and how you can get setup using it quite quickly. I do pay money for a few of the services I'm going to describe, but it isn't much and it's totally worth it.
Newgroups Server
You will need access to server that holds the data for all the Newgroups and I use Newshosting which is very reasonably priced and will give you unlimited access, SSL encryption and a long retention period.
.NZB Files
Like Torrents newsgroups have a single file that will enable you to download all the files in the archive, these are .nzb files. I use a website called Newzbin that indexes these files, groups them into categories (Movies,TV,Music) and then allows you to download the file. This is a paid website but it's dirt cheap and a years worth of access will be around $10-20. It's well worth it but if you're tight or don't have the money there are free alternatives such as NZB Matrix.
Software You'll Need
First thing you will have to download is a program that will open .nzb files and download their contents from the Usenet server, I've personally been using NewsBin and it's a very good solution. It will automatically download every file in the .nzb, check for errors using .par files and repair the archive if needed.
If you want to manually check if an archive is fully complete I use QuickPar which will open .par/.par2 files, check the archive and repair if necessary. Although you may not need this all the time it's a good program to have just in case.
Positives
- A lot safer than torrents, absolutely no uploading
- Things are usually release on newsgroups before torrents
- Max out your connection when downloading
Negatives
- Paid service
- A bit of a fiddle to get up and running
Other stuff
For a great guide on everything Usenet visit Slyck's article which goes through server options, .nzb programs and a great rundown on parity files and how they work.
Comments
Someone (26/02/2010 - 16:44)
The first rule of usenet is DON'T TALK ABOUT USENET.
Someone Else (05/03/2010 - 13:05)
@Someone: Why mention it yourself then?
It's not as if Usenet is a secret anyway. You'd be a fool to consider yourself a member of an elite few. You'd be even more of a fool to think Usenet is actually a secret underground service that nobody apart from you and your online buddies know about. You total bloody n00b.
That is all.
Cake follower (02/04/2010 - 12:38)
Hey James, I have been going thru your code and it has been very very helpful. I wanted to let you know that I use http://www.astraweb.com/ and it's pretty good so far ($10/mo). I've used Newshosting, UNS, and Giganews, but I wanted something more affordable. Thank you for your great site btw!